Apply for the 2026-2027 AC Assessments

England Hockey's original draft Centralised Calendar allocated 13 and 20 September 2026 as County dates, and Hampshire planned our 2026/27 Academy Centre Assessments accordingly.

In the final version of the Centralised Calendar, England Hockey changed this arrangement. 13 September is now designated for U13 and U14 County activity, while U15-U17 County activity has been moved to 27 September.

For Hampshire, however, splitting our assessments by age group in this way simply doesn't work with the assessment process we have developed.

Why Hampshire assesses age groups together

Our U13-U16 Boys' and Girls' assessments take place at the same venue, with the different age groups running alongside one another.

There is a very deliberate reason for this.

Bringing our age groups and coaching teams together allows us to make much better use of the considerable coaching experience available on the day. Coaches can move between groups where required, additional coaches can be brought in to observe borderline decisions, and players can be seen by multiple coaches rather than relying on the opinion of one individual.

The final selection decision remains with the appropriate Lead Coach, but observations and assessment information from other coaches can be fed into that decision.

It also means that if a player hasn't been seen sufficiently, or a coach wants another opinion, we have the people available to do something about it there and then.

We believe this produces a fairer, more thorough and more robust assessment process and significantly reduces the possibility of a talented player being overlooked simply because one coach didn't happen to see them at their best.

For that reason, Hampshire will retain our planned AC Assessment dates of:

• Sunday 13 September 2026
• Sunday 20 September 2026

What if you are trialling for a Talent Academy?

There is some good news in England Hockey's final calendar!

Sunday 20 September has been left clear of Talent Academy activity.

That means players attending TA trials on 13 September do not have to choose between their Talent Academy opportunity and being considered for Hampshire.

If you are unable to attend the Hampshire assessment on 13 September because you are attending a TA trial, that's absolutely fine. We look forward to seeing you on 20 September instead.

Importantly, we recognise that some players attending on the 20th may still be waiting to hear whether they have secured a Talent Academy place.

That doesn't matter.

You can still complete your Hampshire assessment and remain in consideration for a 2026/27 Hampshire Academy Centre place while you await the outcome of your TA selection.

We have always tried to accommodate players caught between County and Talent Academy selection dates, and nobody will lose their opportunity to be considered for Hampshire simply because they have chosen to attend a TA trial.

Already invited to Hampshire AC Assessments?

If you have already received and accepted an invitation to the Hampshire AC Assessments, you DO NOT need to complete the form below.

Your Hampshire coaches will contact you before the assessment dates.

When you receive that email, simply reply to your coach and explain that you are attending a TA trial on 13 September and will therefore attend the Hampshire assessment on 20 September.

We'll take care of the rest.

Who should complete the form below?

The form below is ONLY for players who have not yet received an invitation to the 2026/27 Hampshire AC Assessments and who believe they should remain under consideration because of their involvement in the Talent Academy pathway.

For example, this may include a previous Hampshire DC, AC or PC player who is currently involved with a Talent Academy or has been nominated for Talent Academy trials, but who has not received a Hampshire AC Assessment invitation.

If that applies to you, please complete the form below so that we can check your circumstances and make sure you haven't inadvertently fallen through the gap.

Already have an AC Assessment invitation? Please don't use this form. Just speak to your Hampshire coach.

Parent/Guardian: Think you've missed an email from us?

Copies of emails sent through the Hampshire Player Pathway system are retained on the parent profile, so you can still read them there even if your email provider has decided to send our message to your spam or junk folder.

For more information about this, and how to find your emails on the system, visit our email help page.

The U17 DC is 'optional' meaning that players born between 01 Sep 2009 - 31 August 2010  are not obliged to do the DC, even if they still want to be considered for the 2025 AC assessments.

Any questions?

Hopefully, the above covers all eventualities but if anything is not clear or you have any questions, please contact our administrator.

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